Don't miss our weekly PhD newsletter | Sign up now Don't miss our weekly PhD newsletter | Sign up now

  Developmental biomechanics of skeletal development


   Department of Bioengineering

This project is no longer listed on FindAPhD.com and may not be available.

Click here to search FindAPhD.com for PhD studentship opportunities
Dr N Nowlan  No more applications being accepted  Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

About the Project

Movement in the womb is essential for normal bone and joint development. In some cases where unborn babies do not move or ‘kick’ enough in the womb, bones and joints can form abnormally. However, the biology, or mechanobiology, underlying the effects of mechanical forces in the womb is not well understood. The Nowlan lab is interested in how mechanical forces in the womb are translated into developmental change. A greater understanding of this topic is relevant to a range of medical and bioengineering topics, such as osteoarthritis and developmental dysplasia of the hip. This PhD project will be a lab based project which will investigate how the mechanical forces induced by movement, and by the changing environment of the womb, affect bone and joint development.

More information can be found at http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/n.nowlan/research. The PhD project will start in October 2014.

Funding Notes

The studentship provides home/EU fees plus stipend for 3 years and is open to UK/EU applicants only.

Applicants should have, or be in the process of obtaining, a high calibre Master’s Degree (or equivalent qualification) in a relevant area, such as engineering/physics or biology/developmental biology.

For further details of the post contact Dr Niamh Nowlan ([Email Address Removed]). Interested applicants should send a current curriculum vitae and 1-page research statement to Dr Nowlan by e-mail.

How good is research at Imperial College London in Engineering?


Research output data provided by the Research Excellence Framework (REF)

Click here to see the results for all UK universities

Project supervisors

Career overview

Dr. Niamh Nowlan''s research focuses on the biomechanics of fetal movements, particularly their role in normal skeletal development and their significance as a measure of fetal health. She was a member of the academic staff in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London from 2011 to 2020. In 2021, Dr. Nowlan transitioned to University College Dublin in Ireland, where she serves as Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. Despite this move, she continues her role as a Visiting Reader in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London, where her research group remains based. Dr. Nowlan holds a BA BAI in Computer Engineering from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, which she obtained in 2003, and a PhD in Bioengineering from the same institution, awarded in 2007. Her research contributions can be explored further through her publications and on platforms such as Google Scholar.


Research interests

Dr. Niamh Nowlan''s research focuses on the biomechanics of fetal movements, particularly examining the role of these movements in normal skeletal development and their significance as a measure of fetal health. She is involved in the Developmental Biomechanics Group, which conducts research in this area. Dr. Nowlan has also contributed to various interdisciplinary networks, including those related to artificial intelligence in healthcare, developmental biomechanics, and musculoskeletal medical engineering.

View Dr. Niamh Nowlan's profile